Women's Volleyball

Volleyball in the Hunt for Final MAC Tournament Spots

Friday Volleyball results
Akron 3, Toledo 0
Ball State 3, Central Michigan 0
Bowling Green 3, Buffalo 1
Miami 3, Eastern Michigan 1
Northern Illinois 3, Kent State 2
Ohio 3, Western Michigan 1
 
Recaps courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Akron 3, Toledo 0 | Box Score
AKRON, Ohio -The Akron volleyball team got the job done in straight sets (25-18, 25-22, 25-21) to beat the Toledo Rockets Friday at James A Rhodes Arena.

The Zips offense was paced by Delaney Gash, who finished with 13 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .345, and provided three aces. Maureen Mathews followed close behind with 11 while hitting .286. Akron got 10 digs from Vanessa Del Real to lead them defensively. Chidera Ozoh led Akron with four blocks while Gabby Brissett notched three and added nine kills. Martina Villani served up 35 assists over the three sets while adding three aces and five digs.

The conference victory improved Akron's record to 16-12 overall and 9-8 in MAC action.

Game Notes

» Gash and Villani had a match-high three aces in the win.
» Akron never trailed on the way to winning the first set 25-18.
» Akron served up six aces on the way to a third-set victory.
» Gash had a match-high 13 kills for Akron.
» Akron got a team-high 10 digs from Del Real.
» Akron attackers were helped by a match-high 35 assists from Villani.


What's Next?
The Zips conclude the regular season on Saturday, November 15, against the Rockets. Akron can advance to the Mid-American Conference Tournament with a win over Toledo, along with either Buffalo defeating Bowling Green on Saturday or Eastern Michigan sweeping Miami.


Ball State 3, Central Michigan 0 | Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State women's volleyball team completed one of the most impressive regular seasons in program history Friday with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-15) sweep of Central Michigan on Senior Night in Worthen Arena.

With the win, the Cardinals closed the regular season with a 21-9 overall record and tied the third-best Mid-American Conference mark in program history at 17-1. The next stop for the Cardinals, a trip to the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio, for the semifinals of the MAC Volleyball Championship next Saturday (Nov. 22) at 4 p.m.

"We had a great regular season," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "To go 17-1 in MAC play was special considering where we started the season in non-conference play and trying to figure out our lineup. Thanks to our veteran leadership on and off the court, we found our rhythm and are playing our best volleyball right now. That's the goal heading into the MAC Tournament, to make sure we continue to get a little better this week, stay healthy and stay as prepared as possible."  

Tonight, however, was all about the program's three seniors as Ball State paid a fitting tribute to their contributions with its ninth league sweep of the season.

Leading the senior group on the floor was outside hitter Noelle VanOort, who blasted 10 kills and hit .240 (10-4-25) in her final regular season match inside Worthen Arena. A two-time All-American in her four seasons at Indiana Tech before joining the Cardinals, VanOort has tallied 2,053 kills over her collegiate career.

On the right side, opposite Christyn Ashby celebrated her final match in Worthen Arena with three kills and a block, raising her collegiate totals to 413 and 185, respectively, after starting her career with one season at Georgia State and playing three more at Alabama State.

While she missed her final season due to injury, senior Katie Egenolf still played a role as a mentor to both fifth-year transfers, as well as to the program's underclassmen. Her leadership and energy from the bench helped Ball State earn its second MAC regular season championship during her time with the program. She finished her career with 245 kills, 181 digs and 38 total blocks.

Along with the contributions from the senior class, sophomore Carson Tyler led all players with 15 kills in the match, raising her season total to 491. She was also credited with nine digs, two blocks and a service ace in the win, while upping her league-leading kills-per-set average to 4.23 on the year. She also hit .467 (15-1-30) in the win.

Sophomore opposite Tiffany Snook chipped in nine kills and hit .467 (9-2-15) as well, while junior middles Gwen Crull and Camryn Wise collected six and five kills, respectively. Wise led BSU at the net with three total blocks, while Crull added two.

On a night which saw the offense connect at a .346 (48-11-107) clip, its fourth-best effort of the season, junior setter Lindsey Green dished out 24 assists and freshman setter Reese Axness added 15. Green would add five digs and two aces to her stat line, while Axness was credited with six digs.

Rounding out Ball State's key contributors on the night was a match-high 15 digs from sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter and eight digs and a match-best three aces from sophomore defensive specialist Elizabeth Tabeling.

As a team, the Cardinals defense limited the Central Michigan attack to a .219 (34-13-96) attack percentage with Izzy Swiercz and Taylor Cripe tying for team-high honors with seven kills. Cripe also collected a team-high 11 digs.

"We just want to go out and have some fun next weekend," Phillips added. "I feel good about the group we have and the skills we have. But we still have to go out and perform; go out and earn it. We are in a great spot and I'm really looking forward to next week."


Bowling Green 3, Buffalo 1 | Box Score
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team claimed a four-set victory over the Buffalo Bulls Friday night (Nov. 14) on the road. The Falcons came out swinging with a .371 hitting percentage in the first set, rolling into a 25-22 score. Buffalo evened the match with a second-set win, but the Falcons took over from there with 25-20 and 25-19 set scores to secure the 3-1 win. The win moves the Falcons to 15-14 on the season while being 9-8 within the MAC. With results from around the MAC Friday night, three of the six spots in the MAC Tournament will be up for grabs on Saturday (Nov. 15), with the Falcons as one of four teams fighting for a spot.

Falcon Stat Leaders
Kills: Avery Hobson (19)
Assists: Amanda Otten (41)
Digs: Sydnie Hernandez (16)
Aces: Sydnie Hernandez (4)
Blocks: Kendall Williams (6)

Falcon Stat Facts
  • For the fourth time this season, the Falcons reached double-digit aces in a match, finishing with 10. Five different Falcons landed an ace with three having multiple.
  • Amanda Otten led the Falcons in assists with 41 and added 10 digs, registering her third consecutive double-double. Otten now has a team-leading nine double-doubles this season.
  • Anastasija Bozic registered a career-high 13 kills and 12 digs for the Falcons, finishing second in each stat on the team. The double-double marked the second of the year for Bozic. 
  • Sydnie Hernandez led the Falcons in the back row and in serving. Hernandez tallied a team-high 16 digs while landing a team-high four aces. It marks the second time this year Hernandez has had four or more aces in a match after landing five against NIU on Oct. 9. 
  • Avery Hobson led the Bowling Green attack with a team-high 19 kills. Hobson managed to maintain a .326 hitting percentage in the match as well, landing the 19 kills on 43 attacks with five errors. 
  • Kendall Williams paced the block for the Falcons with a total of six, including a career-high three solo blocks. 
  • With the win, the Falcons have now won 13 straight matches against the Bulls, dating back to the 2019 campaign. 
Up Next
Bowling Green and Buffalo will conclude the regular season on Saturday (Nov. 15) with a 4 p.m. start inside Alumni Arena. The Falcons are still well within the hunt for a spot in the MAC Tournament with three spots still up for grabs and four teams still in play entering the final day of the regular season. A scenarios page will be added later tonight (Nov. 14) to BGSUFalcons.com under the volleyball section of the website for an in-depth dive. 


Miami 3, Eastern Michigan 1 | Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio— The Miami University volleyball team (16-13, 10-7 MAC) took down Eastern Michigan (12-18, 4-13 MAC) in a four-set match (31-29, 23-25, 33-31, 25-23) on Friday night at Millett Hall. Molly Creech (19) and Chelsea Williams (15) led the RedHawks in kills. Lindy Radaszewski served three aces to lead the match. Gentry Warrick showed out on defense, leading all players with 10 blocks and Raegan Lantz followed closely behind with a career-high seven blocks.

NOTES:
  • Utley and Hayden Hicks combined for 51 assists.
  • Creech and Lindsay Kahren totaled 35 digs.
  • Warrick moved to fourth in block assists (336) all-time in Miami volleyball history.
UP NEXT:
The RedHawks return for another home match to close out the regular season Saturday, Nov. 15 at 4 p.m.


Northern Illinois 3, Kent State 2 | Box Score 
KENT, Ohio- Going the distance in a five-set thriller, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team (12-14, 5-12 MAC) won the first of two games against the Kent State University Golden Flashes (8-20, 3-14 MAC) on Friday (November 14). The Huskies and Golden Flashes posted set scores of 14-25, 25-21, 27-25, 23-25, and 15-12
 
Rylea Alvin recorded her third consecutive match with nine blocks, matching her career best for the fourth time this season.
 
Emma McCartney , Ava Grevengoed, and Kylie Schuzle (Wonder Lake, Ill./Woodstock North) all recorded double-doubles in this evening's contest. Schulze set a new career-best with two service aces while McCartney's 19 digs were a career mark for the sophomore.
 
Naomi Dowd had a career night with 14 kills while Savannah Gogel matched her career-best in blocks with five. Autumn Flynn was the final Huskie to set a new career mark, setting her mark with five digs.
 
"There were a lot of ups and downs throughout the match, but this team continued to never gave up. Which is something that they have done all season. To be able to see a win come that effort, especially on the road, was a proud moment for the team," said head coach Sondra D'Amore. "We came back from big deficits (and) beat a team in five. And did it on the road in conference. All the things we've been working hard for all year. The goal (tomorrow) is to repeat that belief and finish the season with a win."

The Huskies and Golden Flashes will conclude the series on November 15 at 3 p.m. CT in Kent, Ohio.


Ohio 3, Western Michigan 1 | Box Score 
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio volleyball team (14-16, 12-6 MAC) earned a 3-1 victory (17-25, 25-23, 25-20, 27-25) over Western Michigan (1-15, 13-5 MAC) on Friday, Nov.14. The game marked Ohio's final one of the regular season. The team also celebrated the three members of their senior class, Anna Kharchynska, Kendall White and Leah Rogers.
 
Ohio finished with a .226 attack percentage, 56 kills, five aces, nine blocks, 53 assists, and 59 digs. Western Michigan finished with a .258 attack percentage, 58 kills, two aces, six blocks, 54 assists, and 65 digs.
 
Freshman Mady Long was a standout player on both sides of the court for Ohio. Offensively, Long recorded a .542 attack percentage with 13 kills and no errors on 24 total attacks. She also tallied two aces, 12 digs, and 15.0 points. In an impressive feat, Long finished 30-for-31 (.968) in serve receive.
 
Freshman Bailey Blair was an outstanding offensive force for the Bobcats. Blair recorded a .371 attack percentage with a team-high 16 kills and three errors on 35 total attacks. Blair also contributed 17.0 points, two blocks, and seven digs.
 
Sophomore Bryn Janke led the team in assists with a total of 31.
 
Junior Kendall Hickey recorded a team-high 21 digs. Junior Emily Waddell led the team in blocking with a match-high of seven blocks.
  
The Bobcats will be back in action at the 2025 Mid-American Conference Volleyball Championships, starting on Friday, Nov. 21 in Bowling Green, Ohio.